Hindu Narrative

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-SwamyG+Apr 22 2007, 08:09 PM-->QUOTE(SwamyG @ Apr 22 2007, 08:09 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Agreed. So what were the circumstances that led the Europeans to make lots of scientific advancements while the Indians and Chinese were left to catch up. They say necessity is the mother of invention. Were there no necessities in our pre-Colonialistic days that did not warrant us say from inventing the Steam Engine?

<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I believe we are treading on shaky territory here.

From the viewpoint of a world that has reached it current status in about 2-300 years largely because of developments (that you have chosen to call advancements) the answer to your question could range from "pure chance" to "extra European cleverness" to "superior religion" - but my view is given below.

It is possible that 500 years from now, a retrospective view could provide a different viewpoint, as a view of the world 2000 years ago would have provided yet another viewpoint.

However, if you ask me about what we have today (the result of about 300 years of European/American ingenuity) then I would say that these developments were related to two things

1) The Socratic method of asking questions and finding answers.

2) The Christian belief of the superiority of man over all of nature, requiring that the questions that man asked were aimed at the "conquer" of nature rather than any attempt at coexisting with nature.